Again... Amherst or Brown?

Ethnicity: Chinese, not an American citizen / don’t have permanent residency
fields of interest: history, humanities in general (want to try Anthro/Sociology/PoliSci/etc), Visual art & Art History (with an emphasis on fine-art photography), Film Studies, other areas I haven’t discovered yet. In short, Arts & Humanities focused, much less on STEM
Post-graduation plan: I haven’t any clear idea yet, most likely grad school, but could be a solid job in areas I enjoy
what I want for my college education: CONSTANT INTELLECTUAL STIMULUS (interesting professors and challenging yet rewarding classes), good relationships with my professors, good reasoning and writing skills, opportunities to explore other discipline, equally intellectual peers, and a good environment.

I’ve been flipping through old posts that compared these two schools extensively. However, I also have my concern:

  1. Brown students can cross-register at RISD (although hard, but possible), which is something Amherst couldn’t offer even with its Five College Consortium. Granted, I get to work with my professor more closely, but it’s also harder to find peers with the same interest.
  2. I go to a small boarding school in NE and I feel like Amherst gives me a very similar vibe. I love the fact that I get to know my teachers very well and can visit their house regularly (which I could also do at Amherst), but a much smaller student body means it’s less likely for me to find my own niche.
  3. Brown has a much larger faculty group and thus more likely to cover more specific fields within each department. I would love a broad general education, but depth is equally important for me. Yes, I can take graduate classes at UMass, but I guess it’s not as rigorous at Brown…? (I’m not sure about this one, correct me if I’m wrong)
  4. I would be much appreciated if anyone can more closely compare Brown’s liberal arts department to Amherst’s.

Past posts most likely sway me towards Amherst for ED, not to mention its need-blind policy, but I don’t ever want to have any “What if…” moment in the future. Thanks so much for your kind suggestions!

They are similar, yet different. Have you visited? I highly recommend doing so. My daughter attends Amherst College and once she visited, she loved the feel of the campus and she felt that although she would do well most anywhere she was accepted, she loved the Professor, the students and the content in the class she sat in on. The discussion was intellectually stimulating and she had found her people. Her friend chose Brown.
The thing is, if accepted at both, you probably can’t go too wrong. It will be exhausting to write all the Pros / Cons for each school and will likely come down to money or feel or both and when none of those lean too far in one direction, you will have to make a gut call. But what a great position to be in. For now though, you dream of the possibilities, do the work and go visit. I wish you the best!

Thank you so much for your comment!
I visited Brown my sophomore spring and Amherst this April, sat in two classes, and talked to several professors and students alike. With that being said, I ADORE AMHERST. Even the random student I talked to on campus was super friendly and seemed to enjoy what she had there. But I do feel a bit uncertain for reasons I listed in the thread. I am just not sure if I want to attend another private-school-ish college for another four years - not saying it’s a bad thing, I just don’t know what I want/need/lack…

@jiax26, How much financial aid will you need to make either school workable for you? Both schools only offer need-based aid, and it’s difficult for international students to get clear estimates of how much need-based aid they may be eligible for. I would suggest that you or your parents contact the financial aid office to discuss what to expect based on your family’s income and assets.

I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on Amherst’s need-blind policy. There are usually enough clues in your application to give admissions an idea of your family’s financial situation. Amherst is VERY generous with financial aid to internationals that they admit, but the actual number of internationals that they admit is relatively small, and the competition among ethnic Chinese is fierce. I don’t have Amherst’s exact ED admit figures, but for all international students, the total number admitted ED is just a handful.

For studio art and art history I would give Brown a significant edge over Amherst. If you like the LAC environment you might look at other with stronger art/art history programs. Some suggestions for both good art and art history and relatively higher budgets for international aid would be Wesleyan, Williams, Smith, Vassar, Oberlin, Colgate.

Thank you so much for your comment!
I’m not too obsessed with aid. My parents are willing and able to afford my four years of college tuition, but I think there has come to a stage where I want to claim some sort of independence (if that counts any). I do know the generosity of Amherst’s aid – 80% of international students receiving an average of $60000+. Your concern is legit: they have about 5ish Chinese student per class and that number has been consistent throughout the years. So I actually prefer to apply there ED. If I ever get in, I could take their aid and be happy with it; if it’s not, I have another shot at other colleges during RD.
For your last point, I do realize that Amherst has a relatively weak VisArt/ArtHis program. In fact, for studio art, I’m only interested in photography specifically and no previous experience to any other medium whatsoever. So I think for arts in general, I may focus more on the art history/criticism side of it. If I ever had the chance of being accepted by Amherst, I may even forgo a bit of art and do more history/LJST/FAM instead. I’m currently not fixated on any particular track but hope I could figure it out during college – part of the reason why I want an Open Curriculum lol

If you don’t need financial aid, you should consider not applying for it at Brown or any other school that is need-aware for internationals. Generally being full pay is a plus for international students. But be sure that your family really can afford full pay as many schools don’t allow internationals to apply for aid in subsequent years if they don’t apply as a first year.

OP, sometimes the heart just wants what it wants. You have accurately laid out the case for each college and it keeps whispering, “Amherst” despite all its drawbacks. That makes it tough on CC posters who want to give you their sincere advice. Apply ED. Chances are you will get rejected. Once that happens, your RD choices will become a lot clearer.

Yes - sorry if I didn’t articulate in the post, I have no intention applying FA to school other than Amherst due to their need-aware policy and generally lower FA package. Thank you again so much for your advice!

Hahaha I do acknowledge I’m slanted even though I adore both schools from the bottom of my heart. But I still want to stay open to any suggestions. Do you have anything to share?

^Well, yeah. Traditionally, Wesleyan has been the NESCAC considered most like Brown: both share a southern New England, small city, environment with simiar immigrant pasts and a diverse ethnic and racial backdrop. Wesleyan has a bigger enrollment than Amherst and, consequently, a better balance between traditional liberal arts subjects and more experimental ones like art, music, film and theater. Brown occupies the same niche through its partnershio with RISD. Both the Wesleyan and Brown student bodies are considered the “quirky”, non-conformist ones of their respective athletic leagues. Even their architecture is similar with eclectic examples of every era from Greek Revival to Georgian. IMHO, if you are looking for a hybrid that combines aspects of Amherst and Brown, Wesleyan has been the go-to choice for a long, long time.

It’s simple imo. Apply ED to Amherst with FA app. You are done if accepted and can afford it That is a golden lottery ticket. You are not going to get any other like school for less. If deferred or rejected, you can apply wherever, understanding that you are not likely to get accepted if you apply for financial aid at most schools that even have it for international students.

You haven’t mentioned anything about how you match what either wants. Be careful. This is never just about what the applicant wants. It seems you have some research to do, to figure out whether you have what they look for.

If you don’t require need-based financial assistance for Brown, then it seems you shouldn’t require it for Amherst. It wouldn’t seem to align with the philosophy behind need-based aid to apply for it at one school, but not the other, based on their respective admission practices.

I’ve known students who will apply for financial aid if it does not hurt their chances, just in case they can get some money through that process. Just because one CAN pay, doesn’t mean one should if the formulas allow for aid. Some people live on very tight budgets and the financial aid rules do not penalize for certain aspects of such a situation.

International students have to show how they are paying for college and all living expenses before the US will issue a student visa. That is a whole other quarter of the international experience of going to college here in our country.